What's Left of Me
by Angel's Anthem
Summary: There's a saying that goes: "Often times, you don't know what you have until you've lost it." They found out the hard way. Michelangelo had become a ghost.


**Author's Note:** This is a re-do of my original story, "Irreplaceable."

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_"Just accept it..." Donnie said, his tone menacing, his voice echoing__**—** both close by and far away. _

_"You don't belong here anymore, Michelangelo..." Leo said, his lips curling up into a wicked grin. _

_The eldest brother's katana blades were drawn and __dripping**—** dripping__ with HIS blood. Mikey shivered, choking back a sob. He gripped the oozing slice in his chest, torrid-hot blood seeping out between his fingers. Each breath he took was now labored and uneven. The urge to cough up more blood was constantly jabbing at his throat._

_"Donnie... Why? Why would you do this to me?" the youngest of four turtles cried, backing into the corner of a trash-strewn alley. The purple-clad ninja ignored him, lurking closer and closer with his bo-staff ready for another beating._

_"Leo... What did I do? Just tell me what I-" his words were drowned out by another sob. _

_Michelangelo reached out to them with a quivering hand. "Donnie... Leo... Please... Please don't do this..." he begged._

_He tried to scream, but couldn't find the strength to pitch his voice to such an octave. His attempts were pathetic croaks and murmurs only he could understand. Suddenly and without warning, the tip of Leo's blades grazed the surface of his collar bone and shoulder. He cried out as blood spit from the fresh wound, pain seizing his body in violent waves. He clenched his teeth, lifting his throbbing head to make eye contact with them._

_"I'm sorry... Whatever I did, I'm sorry!" Mikey cried, his voice hoarse. _

_"Don't you get it?" Donnie spoke to him condescendingly. Mikey frantically shook his head, desperate to know so he could end this torment._

_"Donnie's right, Michelangelo," Leo whispered, "We thought you would have figured it out by now..." _

_"Please, Leo! Donnie! I love you! We're brothers, remember?! We're brothers..." his voice caught in his throat as he coughed up spurts of blood._

_Mikey's chest tightened. Donnie just shook his head. Slowly. Leo remained still, grinning like an evil fool. The youngest Hamato son gathered up his strength to raise his nunchucks, letting them dangle in front of him. It was the best he could do to defend himself as Donnie's staff came down—hard—onto his bleeding shoulder. Hearing the wind zip past his blades was enough warning to deflect the next attack as Leo swung at his baby brother with a spin. Mikey ducked the first spin and blocked the second with his nunchuck. There was a snap and half of his nunchuck fell to the ground in splinters of severed wood. _**  
**

_Eyes still glued to his broken weapon, Mikey wasn't aware of the fist that was headed directly for his jaw. With a sound crack, Leo's bandaged knuckles collided with Mikey's already bruised face. He fell over in a weeping fit, a hand clumsily rubbing at the sore spot. Suppressing his tears of agony was no longer an option._

_As soon as the young ninja was brave enough to turn around, there were four turtles staring at him with devilish grins instead of two. With weapons drawn, Raph and a grey-clad ninja approached. Mikey's heart beat furiously in his chest as Raphael grabbed him by the back of his shell, yanking his body up into the air as if he were lighter than a feather. With a grunt, Mikey's body was slung up against a dumpster, his older brother's hand gripping his neck with deadly force. The grey-clad ninja smirked behind his shoulder as Mikey gasped for air. _

_"Poor little Mikey," Raphael taunted, "We don't need you anymore." _

_"Why, Raph? Please... tell what I did. Tell me how I can do better. I'll change! I'll change for you..." Mikey cried as the edges of his vision began to fade, squirming in Raphael's iron grip._

_"You've been replaced." _

_With those bitter words, Raphael stabbed Mikey's shell with his sai, plunging through the hard surface and piercing his abdomen. The orange-clad warrior gasped, holding onto the hand that held him suspended from the ground. His eyes fell onto the brother he revered as a leader, Leonardo. Then to the brother he went to for guidance, Donatello. Then the brother he had always looked up to. Had idolized. Raphael. With a final smirk, Raph dropped Michelangelo's limp body to the ground, his head slapping the pavement. _

_Without another word they began to walk away, leaving him there to die. Mikey blinked. The pain rippled through his body. He blinked again. He saw blue, red, purple, and grey... And again. Grey... he'd been replaced with grey... one last blink... nothing____—_ they were gone. 

_You've been replaced... _

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**Author's Note:** So, what did you think? Should I continue?


End file.
